Natchez &8212; Having a variety of restaurants is important to any tourist-friendly town, said Peter Trosclair, owner of Biscuits and Blues on Main Street and The Malt Shop on Homochitto.

&8220;I do South Louisiana-style food at Biscuits and Blues,&8221; he said. Restaurants within walking distance in the historic downtown area represent different ethnicity and style.

From Pearl Street Pasta with its Italian-American style to Planet Thailand with its authentic Thai menu, the downtown offers visitors many choices.

Downtown eateries include Center City Grill, Main Street Marketplace Caf/, Cock of the Walk, Pig Out Inn, Magnolia Grill, Fat Mama&8217;s Tamales, City Caf/, Eola Hotel restaurants and the Bread Basket, for example.

Kathryn Killelea, who with her husband, Edward, owns a downtown business and has been involved in promoting downtown development, said tourists like to have a choice of places to eat when they&8217;re traveling.

&8220;There should be a variety of foods offered in a city like Natchez,&8221; she said.

On the horizon are an Italian restaurant and a gourmet coffee shop, she said.

&8220;It would be good to have an Indian restaurant and a Middle Eastern restaurant.&8221;

With more advertising of the city and more people coming to visit, restaurants and shops will do well, Killelea said.

Planet Thailand is a good success story, she said. &8220;They work hard at it. They don&8217;t have much staff. They do it themselves. They&8217;ve been able to be successful and put down roots here.&8221;